Car-fender.



0.1. BRoNsoN.

GAR FENDER. APPLIoATIoN FILED ssrn?. 3o, 1909. y 958,473. Patented May 17,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ATTUHNE YS C. P. BRONSON,

GAR FENDER.

APPLIOATION FILED snrmso, 1909.

Patented May 17, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wm m MDM m WDM. m AH M f fw UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE P. BRONSON, 0F ODRNING, NEW' YORK.

CAR-FENDER..

To :all Iwhom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, .CLARENCE P. BRON- soN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Corning, in the county of Steuben and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Car-Fender, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact descri tion.

'Il e invention is an improvement in fenders, more especially designed for automobiles, and has in viewia comparatively light fender, which, when 1n normal position, 1s com actly arranged and progects a relatively small distance beyond the ront of the vehicle, and, when striking a body, is automatically forwardly extended to receive and support the object struck. To this end I rovide a telescopic tubular fender frame having means tendin to Aforce the frame sections apart, with t Ae forward section of the frame having a Aextensible and contractible lwith .the extension and contraction of the frame, and means to lock .the fender in contracted position, antomaticall, released wlien the front portion of the ender strikes a person or other object vof substantial iirinness.

Reference is .to 'be had to the accompanying Idrawings forming a part of this spec1- fication, in which similar characters of `reference indicate corresponding parts 1n all the' views.

Figure 1 is a sideview yof the forward portion of an automobile, showing a fender embodying my invention applied thereto; Fi 2 is a similar view of the same on an en'rged scale, showing :the fender in vertical section and iii-normal and contracted posi'- tion; Fig. 3 isa sectional view similar to Fig. 2, sho the fender extended; Fig. 4 is a plan of t e fender removed from the car; and Fi 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4, ooking Ain the direction of .the arrows.

The fender embodies in its construction an extensible and contractible frame having telesco ing side bars each composed of :an inwar ,-arrangedjubula-r -section 10 and an yontwardly-arranged tubular section 11, the outer sections being connected together at their outer ends by a front cross-bar 12, the connection between :the side bar sections afnd the cross-bar 12 being eii'ected by providingthe :latter Awith tees 13 -iiear each end, the tees receiving the sends of the bars 11 and having a llinnted sliding .movement Speccation o'f Letters Patent. Patented May 17, 1910. Application filed September 30, 1909.

Serial N 0. 520,312.

thereon afforded by the slots 14 and the pins 15, the slots being formed within the tees and thepins carried by the sidebar sections 11 and extending into the slots. Between the outer ends of the side bar sections 11 and the tees 13 areinterposed springs 16, tending to force the front cross-bar 12 to the limit of its outward movement. 'lfhe inner ends of theinner side bar sections 10 are made solid and i-t within sockets 17 of collars 18, the latter being secured .at -suitable oints to the front axle of the Vehicle. The ront cross-bar 12 is extended at each end slightly beyond the side bars of the trame, with the extended portions rearwardly curved to give the fender a inish, and each carrying at the under side a small wheel 19, operating to vfirst strike the ground and suport this end of the fender, should the ender beinoved suiiiciently near the `ground surface.

Directly at the front of the vehicle ,is an upwardly-extended guard 20, preferably ernbodying the usual wire-supporting frame, with the 4base of the side bar sections 10 and rigidly supported from the bumper of the car by braces 21. The base lof the guard 2O is extended below the fender frame and .serves as a support for slidable push-bars 22, the latter bein-g operatively connected .at the inner ends to tri gers 23, and provided at their outer en s with enlargements for yheads 24, operatively arranged with respect vto depending iianges 25 fixed to the -front cross :bar 12. The triggers 23 are fulcrumed at the lower side of clamps or rings 26, secured to the side lbar sections 10, the upper portion .ofy the Itrigger being offset and provided with a downwardly and youtwardly beveled end movable within slots 27 and 28, formed in the side bar :sections 10 and 11 respectively, to lock the 'atender frame in contracted position. The two sections of the side bars are ,nor-v mally forced apart by springs 29, intenposed between them, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Slots 430 are formed in the .outer .sections 1.1

of the side bars, inwardly lot' the .slots .28, and are arranged to Ibeenjgaged by the ftrigg ger 23 andv Vlimit the outward movement of the side .bar sections 11 when 'the fender frame is extended under the influence ofthe springs 29. 'Ifhe pivots of the triggers '23 are formed by .a tie-rod 32, :connecting the rings `26 together. In order that .the triggers maybe rheld .in and returned to engaging position when withdrawn from theside bar sections, the push-bars 22 are provided with collars or other enlaroements 33, be-V tween which and the base or the upwardlyprojecting guard are springs 34, tending to force the push-bars outwardly.

The outer sections ll of the side bars carry a bed composed oi a number of crossslats S5, each slat having a ringA or collar 36 attached to its under side near eachend, slidable on the respective sections l1, withv the rings on each section of the side bar connected at points along the length of a chain 37, the ends of the chain being respectively secured to the inner fixed portion and the forward movable portion of the tender, the chains serving to limit the separation of: the slats and drawing them a uniform distance apart when the fender is extended, the slats moving close together when the fender is contracted, .as shown in Figs. l and v2. lVith the fender in this position, on striking a person or other object of substantial rm` ness, th'e front cross-bar is forced inwardly, breaking the shock tothe body and fender and moving the iianges against the pushbars 2:2 and disengaging the triggers from the outer sections of the side bars. As the triggers are disengaged, the outer sections of the side bars are forcibly extended in a position to'receive the object struck, the extension out the fender being limited by the reengagement of the triggers in the slots 30 of the outer sections of the side bars. In the outward movementrof the outer'side bar sections, the slats forming the bed to receive the body, are successively spread apartl until they are uniformly distributed over the for-f ward portion of the tender, as shown. in Figs. 3 and fi. By pushing on the front of the fender, when the latter is extended, the outer edges of the slots 30 `press against the beveled ends orn the triggers and disengage them, allowing the fender to be fully contracted, at which time the triggers are again returned into the slots 28 and loclr the fender in its contracted position. u l y Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent: i

l. The combination oi a-ender frame of telescoping sections, means tending to Vforce the sections apart, an extensible andv contractible bed carried by the outer section of the frame presenting a flatupper facein both the extended. and contracted positions, means to loch the sections, ofthe frame together when the fender is contracted, and

means to automatically disengage thelast mentioned i'neans whenthe fender strilres an ob) ect.

2. The combination with 'a car, a fender comprising inner and outer telescoping frame sections, and cross slats slidable on the outer section of the frame, providing an essere portion of the extensible 'and' cntractible bed, said bed being disposed beyond the forward end of the car body in both its extended and contracted positions. i V

Thecombination of an extensililr-l and 7.0

contractible fender frame, means tending to force the frame to an extended position, cross-slats slidable on tlieorward portion lofthe frame, Ameans toloclr the frame in contracted position,I and means to draw` the 75 slats aparton the {orwardportion of the framewhen the fender is extended. upon therelease of the locking means.`

4. The; I,combination of a tender frame having telescoping side bar sections, springs interposedbetween the said .sections tending to force them apart, a contractiblel and. exj tensible bedcarried on the outer section of the side barsptriggers. arranged to lock the sections Q'fthersidebars together against the g5 tension', of the springs, and forwardly-extending -pusli-bars operatively connected to the triggers ''gnd operatively arranged with respect'to the forward portion of the traine.

.The combination of an extensible and 90 contractible fender frame having aspringpressed front portion, triggers arranged to. lockthel frame in contracted position, and forwardly-extending push-bars operatively connected to the triggers and arrangedjtobe actuated bythe spring-pressed. Vfront portion of the frame. jA .L

6. The combination of axle ifastenings having sockets, a frame having side;y bars, each of telescoping sections, means normally forcing `theections of the side lbars apart, said :tramek aving afront portion carried-g.L

'by theouter sections of the side lbars and inwardly yielding independent of said means,

a, trigger arranged, to-.loclr the sections of the side bars yagainst the tension lof the Asaid means, and ja push-bar operativelyv connected` to thel trigger i and operatively r`larranged with respect to theinwardly-yielding front 7. The. Combination frenan 'Siae baie,

y each of telescopingsections, slats arranged crosswise ottheside bars and slida-ble -on the outer sections thereof,A means tending'to force the sectionsouthe side. bars a-`part,a 115 trigger arranged -to lock the side bars in conA tracted position, .and iiexi-ble connection'sbetween vthe several slats .and the. fixed and movable portions of thefside,bars,fito.successively move the slats apart when -the side 120 bars are extended. 'T .rp-*11,

8. The combinationfof fenderfside^-bars, each composed of telescoping sections',--mea`ns tending to force the sectionsof the side bars :fa-part, an inwardly-yielding cros'sf'bae car.- 125 ried on-the` outer ends ofthe outerlsections of the side bars, having afdownwardlyprojecting member, ajtril ger .carriedby the in ner section of one o thefside bars, and a push-bar slidably supported below the side essere n bars, operatively connected to the trigger and extending forwardly to a point adjacent to said member when the side bars are contracted.

9. The combination of a fender frame having side bars, each composed of telescoping sections, a slidably-supported push-bar arranged below the side bars, means tendingto force the sections of the side bars apart, an inwardly-yielding front bar carried on the outer ends of the outer sections of the side bars, havin a downwardly-extending portion adapte to engage the outer end of the push-bar when the cross-bar is forced inwardly, and a trigger arranged to engage the outer section ot one of the side bars and lock it in extended and retracted position, operatively connected to the pushbar.

10. In combination with a vehicle having a front axle, an extensible fender frame carried on the front axle and having side bars, each composed of teleseoping sections, an extensible bed carried on the outer sections of the side bars, means tending to force the side bars apart, an upwardly-extending bar arranged on the inner sections of the side bars, an inwardly-yielding crossbar carried on the outer ends of the outer sections of the side bars a trigger arranged to lock the sections oi:2 the side bars together when the frame is contracted, and means to release the tri ger, arranged o ratively with respect to t e inwardly-yie ding cross-bar.

11. In combination with a car, a fender comprising inner and outer telescoping frame sections permanently securedfto the car in a :forwardly and downwardly inclined position, an upright guard xed relatively to the inner 'section of the frame at the front of the car, and a bed extensible and contractible with the extension and contraction of the frame and slidably arranged on the outer frame section in advance of the guard. l

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CLARENCE P. BRONSON.

Witnesses:

CLINTON W. HEERMANS, FRED. A. WALKER. 

